Keeping an eye on the rides

Sunday, 03 July 2005

By BRANDI BARHITE
brandibarhite@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - Barreling down the tracks of roller coasters at speeds of 120 mph may be safer in Ohio than most states.

Or at least Ohio's ride inspection program, compared to those in other states, would make it seem that way.

Ohio is one of three states in the country that have full-time amusement ride inspectors.

It is also one of 39 states that have state/local and private inspections of fixed site amusement rides, and one of 41 states that has state/local and private inspections of mobile amusement rides.

Nine states don't have regulations or inspections for fixed amusement rides; and six don't have regulations and inspections for mobile amusement rides.

"My experience with Ohio is they have a staff of experienced ride inspectors, and in terms of states that do a good job on regulating, Ohio is way way up there," said Tom Sheehan, general counsel for Amusement Industry Manufacturers and Suppliers.

Having full-time ride inspectors "allows them to make it a year-round program and to check on things during the off-season," Sheehan said. "When spring comes, there aren't any surprises on either side."

Sheehan said other states have ride inspectors, although their duties aren't exclusive to rides.

"It is like anything else," Sheehan said. "You can have the most stringent regulations, (but) it comes down to how people do their jobs."

Ride safety became a national debate this summer when a 4-year-old boy died after passing out on a motion-simulator ride in Disney World in Orlando.

Shortly after, California's Supreme Court ruled that amusement park rides should abide by the same standard applied to modes of transportation like buses and airplanes, further fueling the debate.

But even so, Ohio -- and Sandusky's Cedar Point -- are comfortable with the oversight already in place. California and Florida also have full-time amusement ride inspectors.

LeeAnne Mizer, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which has the Division of Amusement Ride Safety, said the state annually inspects the 2,509 licensed temporary and permanent rides at amusement parks, go-cart tracks and portable ride companies in Ohio.

The state also does random supplemental inspections throughout the year. The state has nine full-time, year-round ride safety inspectors.

While conducting annual pre-opening mechanical inspections, inspectors evaluate each ride's structural integrity, hydraulic systems, brakes, tubs, sweeps, warning sign displays, and general ride operations.

"There is no pass or fail," Mizer said. "If you fail, you don't operate."

In the past five years, there have been two ride-related deaths in Ohio. Both in 2003, one involved a 56-year-old man hitting his head on a board on a water ride at a camping facility in Latham, Ohio; the other, faulty electrical work by an unlicensed electrician at the Lake County Fair in Painesville killed an 8-year-old boy.

Because of the electrocution, legislators approved a law last week that requires written certification, by a certified licensed electrician, that the power connection was installed in accordance with the National Electric Code.

"We are always talking with folks to try to see if there is a better option, or to see if there is room for improvement," Mizer said.

Inspecting the rides at Cedar Point is one of the state's larger duties, she said.

Every year, the state inspects 93 rides at Cedar Point, and that includes water rides at Soak City and Castaway Bay.

Cedar Point has never failed an inspection, although sometimes additional work needs to be done on the rides before they open, Mizer said.

Cedar Point spokesman Bryan Edwards said Cedar Point has never had a ride-related fatality. Unfortunately, there have been some rare occurrences when guests have died at the park or while on a ride, but it wasn't caused by the ride, but some pre-existing condition, he said.

Riders have been injured on rides at Cedar Point, though.

The most recent was last summer on the Top Thrill Dragster when a launch cable frayed as riders were being shot 420 feet into the air, causing metal shavings from the cable to hit them in the face and arms.

"Those situations are rare," Edwards said.

Ken Berryhill, director of safety at Cedar Point, said the park takes precautions beyond state inspections.

Most rides are disassembled in the off-season and the parts are sent to private professional inspectors.

Then, when the park opens, Cedar Point's licensed ride inspectors and maintenance crew inspect the rides every morning and night.

"There are multiple layers of inspections that are going on," Berryhill said. "When the rides open in the morning you can rest assured that the rides have been gone over with a fine-tooth comb."

Berryhill said riders have to take on some of the safety responsibility as well.

Cedar Point guests should read the warnings posted at each ride from the ride's manufacturer to make sure they are healthy enough to get on. Also, riders should always keep their arms and legs inside the ride.

More than 80 percent of amusement ride injuries in Ohio have been caused by human error or horseplay unrelated to the condition or operation of the ride, according to state records.

"People have gotten into a habit of putting their hands up in the air," Berryhill said. "We warn them to hold on and keep their hands inside the ride."

Several years ago a rider on the Mean Streak not heeding this rule scraped his hand when he put it in between the train and loading dock.

"There is a rider responsibility law in the state of Ohio -- riders are responsible to abide by our rules," Berryhill said.

FunCoast.com is your online guide to summer fun for Cedar Point, the LakeErie Islands and Sandusky area. Our site offers up-to-date information on area attractions, restaurants, hotels, gasoline prices, ferry schedules, swimming, birding and fishing, along with a complete listing of events happening in the Sandusky/Cedar Point area. To use our Webcam and zoom in on Cedar Point's rollercoasters, go to http://funcam.funcoast.com

Copyright 2005 the Sandusky Register. All rights reserved.

All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of the Sandusky Register or FunCoast.com. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.